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Deadlines, back-to-back meetings and constant switching between tasks often leave little room for a mindful pause. How could meditation fit into the working day? And what does research tell us about its potential benefits? To mark World Meditation Day on 21 December, a study published in JAMA Network Open offers useful insights into how meditation may support employee well-being.
What the study examined
Radin and colleagues studied 1,458 employees at a large academic medical centre who reported mild to moderate stress. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups. The first received access to a digital mindfulness meditation programme, with instructions to practise for 10 minutes a day over eight weeks. The second joined a waiting list and continued their usual activities.
Lower perceived stress and job strain
After eight weeks, the meditation group experienced a greater reduction in perceived stress: how overwhelming and difficult to manage people find the demands in their lives. Job strain also improved, assessed through the imbalance between effort and reward at work.
The benefit was larger for general stress and smaller for job strain. Improvements were also reported in measures of burnout, anxiety, depressive symptoms and work engagement. Positive differences remained at the assessment four months after the study began.
The importance of regular practice
Employees who used the app for an average of five to just under ten minutes daily experienced greater stress reductions than those who used it for less than five minutes. This association supports the value of continued practice, although it does not establish an ideal duration for everyone.
What these findings could mean for businesses
The practical value of this approach lies in giving employees a tool they can explore, practise and incorporate into their routines. For an organisation, this could take the form of guided sessions, short practice resources and dedicated time to participate during the working day.
A thoughtfully designed programme should emphasise voluntary participation and continuity. An introductory session can provide a first experience, while a series of sessions can give employees more opportunity to become familiar with the practice and develop a routine that suits them.
World Meditation Day can offer a starting point for an introductory session and a wider conversation about supporting people at work. The next step is to create the conditions that allow employees to build on that first experience.
